


Kiss Under the Fireworks

by jams_fics



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus has vitiligo, Autistic Scorpius, First Kiss, Fluff, Hints of Drarry, Literally EVERYONE Ships It, M/M, New Year's Eve, they're so cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:15:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22061674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jams_fics/pseuds/jams_fics
Summary: Albus hasn't seen his best friend in thirteen days, and he's driving everyone crazy. Harry convinces Ron to let Scorpius come over to the Weasley's New Year's Eve party so Albus can see him before Winter break ends. Everyone is surprised by how polite the Malfoy is, but they're more focused on how Albus and Scorpius can't let go of each other. Everyone ships them and meddles to get them together.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter, Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas
Comments: 19
Kudos: 271





	Kiss Under the Fireworks

Albus was in misery. He was lying on the floor of the living room, throwing a quaffle up to catch over and over again. He had no idea how long he had been lying there. Probably just 10 minutes, but it felt like an hour to him. He was so bored. Christmas break was way too long when he couldn’t talk to Scorpius. Usually they owled every day, but Albus’s best friend decided to go to France for Christmas with his family and was too busy to owl. Albus hasn’t talked to him since the 15th and wouldn’t get to until the 28th. Albus sighed as he realized this meant there wouldn’t be enough time to visit Scorpius before New Years. They had to go to Ron’s for the annual Weasley New Years Party. Of course, Albus loved those parties; they were never boring, and there were plenty of family and friends to talk to who didn’t care he was Slytherin or best friends with a Malfoy. However, he knew he would be out of his mind at that party wanting to talk to said Malfoy. If only Scorpius could go…

‘Wait’, Albus thought. ‘I could ask if he could go, but Ron doesn’t quite like him…’ Albus weighed his options and decided he was going to ask and see what happens. He hopped up, put up the quaffle, and ran to his dad’s office. “Dad?” he called out and knocked.

“Come in, Albus!”

Albus immediately opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it in a rush. He was noticeably anxious. Harry’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. “What’s wrong?”

Albus laughed. “Nothing’s wrong; I just wanted to ask you something,” he replied. Harry waited expectantly. “Do you think Ron would let Scorpius come to the New Years Party?” Albus asked with a nervous smile.

Harry involuntarily let out a laugh and immediately smacked his hand over his mouth. He shook his head and said, “Oh dear, I knew he’d have to meet Ron one day, but he’s still in denial that you two are actually friends. Albus, he’s going to hate having Scorpius over, but I will convince him to be hospitable.”

Albus beamed. “Really? You’d do that for me?”

Harry smiled. “I’d do anything for you. Also, I want to see Ron’s reaction to how Scorpius really is,” he chuckled to himself.

Albus gave his dad a bear hug. “Thanks, Dad! You’re the best,” he said with a kiss to Harry’s cheek. “I’m going to go owl Scor.” Then, he bolted out of the room.

Harry shook his head again with a fond, exasperated smile. He loved to see Albus excited, and Scorpius was one of the few things that brought out the joy in his green eyes. He couldn’t wait to see Ron’s gobsmacked face when he saw Draco Malfoy’s son shyly but constantly attached to his nephew.

~

On the 28th, Albus woke up to tapping on his window. He groaned groggily and pried open an eye to glare at the intrusion of sleep. He caught a glimpse of the jet-black owl and sprang up like a board. “Acrux!” He cheered. Scorpius’s owl fluttered impatiently as Albus struggle to open the window as he was half asleep. The brisk morning breeze numbed Albus’s fingers as he fumbled with the scroll attachedr to Acrux. Finally, he unrolled it and read the pretty writing, saying:

_Dear Albus,_

_Hello, Al! I’m back home! I’m sorry I couldn’t write from France, but we were busy every day. I have so much to tell you about it, but it has to be in person. France was so fun, but I wish you could have come with. I hope you had a great Christmas! I have gifts from my trip for you. Those will also have to wait until we see each other. Sorry, I know how impatient you are. Anyways, how are you doing? Hope to see you soon, Scorpius_

Albus’s grin grew with every sentence he read. Acrux twittered in agitation. Albus absentmindedly apologized, closed the window, pile some treats next to Acrux, and scritched his feathers. Albus then scavenged for a scroll and pen to write back:

_Scorpius! I’ve missed you so much! You’re a bastard for not telling me anything about your trip and withholding gifts from me until we see each other. However, we may see each other sooner than you think because I’ve convinced Uncle Ron to let you come to the Weasley New Years Party! Will you come to it? It’ll be on the 31 st at 7pm to sometime after midnight, so you can come to my house at 6:30. You can either spend the night at my house after the party or stay for a few days. Just let me know! -Al_

Albus rolled up the scroll, tied it to Acrux, and pushed the owl out the window. Acrux glared at him but flew off in obedience. Albus jumped back into bed and immediately fell asleep despite his anxiousness.

~

Harry bounced his leg in Ron’s kitchen, half listening to Hugo’s rambling, half-thinking about how he was going to convince Ron to let a Malfoy into his home. The whoosh of the fireplace brought him out of his thoughts.

“Ugh” Ron groaned from the living room.

“Dad!” Hugo and Rose yelled, making Harry flinch, and ran to tackle Ron. Harry chuckled at the sound of a thump. He walked towards his best friend and helped him up.

“Harry?” Ron questioned while hugging his kids. “What’s up?”

“I just came to visit and figured I could talk to Rose and Hugo for a bit before.”

Ron squinted suspiciously at him. “You willingly came to watch my kids?”

“Hey!” Rose cried in offense as Hugo just smirked. “Why wouldn’t he?”

“You two are little monsters,” Ron grinned at them while ruffling their hair. They smack his hands away and ran off.

“So, how was work?” Harry asked, needing more time to bring up the real question.

Ron groaned again while shrugging off his Auror robes. “Boring. I just sat in a chair doing paperwork all day.”

“Don’t you also complain when you have to fieldwork?” Harry teased while following Ron to the couch.

Ron glared at him. “I don’t always complain about work. I love being head Auror!” he exclaimed with pride.

“I know, I know,” Harry threw his hands up in defense.

“So what’s the real reason you visited?” Ron grinned, throwing an arm around his best friend. Harry smiled, knowing he couldn’t hide from Ron. Shaking his head, he decided to get straight to the point. “Albus wants to invite someone to the New Years Party,” he started.

Ron nodded. “So Al’s finally found a girlfriend? They must be pretty serious if he’s bringing her to a family event.” Harry had to bite back a laugh. “No, it’s not a girlfriend or anything like that.”

Ron’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Then who… wait, hold up! No, no, nope, absolutely not! There’s no way I’m letting Malfoy’s son come to any of our family’s parties!” Ron cried, throwing his hands back.

“Ron, please. Scorpius is nothing like Draco. He’s the politest child I’ve ever met, and Albus is driving me crazy wanting to see his friend again!” Harry pleaded. Ron folded his arms across his chest and sat silently.

“If you don’t let Scorpius come, I’ll give Hugo an espresso.”

Ron gasped. “You wouldn’t!”

“I would,” Harry attempted to say seriously but found the conversation too ridiculous and broke out in a grin.

Ron shook his head and also began to laugh. “Fine, fine, Malfoy’s son can come.”

“Thank y—”

“Bup bup bup!” Ron interrupted. “If he says any blood purist crap, performs any dark magic, or gets anywhere near Rose, I will throw him out and blame you entirely.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Trust me; you don’t have to worry about Scorpius doing any of that.”

Ron squinted at him. “I’ll hold you to that.”

~

Albus was driving his family crazy on New Year’s Eve. He woke up extremely early and wouldn’t stop moving. He had thrown the quaffle at the wall until Ginny yelled at him, pestered Lily until she locked herself in her room, and had begun bouncing his leg while he watched his dad and brother bake cookies for the party.

Harry turned around with a smile and huff of annoyance. “Albus, if you have so much energy, why don’t you help out?”

James threw his hands out to block Albus from getting up. “No, he’s rubbish at cooking. He’ll wind up blowing up the cookies!”

“Hey!” Albus cried. “I’m acing potions; I can’t be terrible at cooking.”

James shook his head. “Potions and cooking are not the same. If they were, I’d be a potions master! Besides, you’d be failing potions if it wasn’t for your boyfriend,” he teased.

Harry raised his eyebrows as Albus swatted at James.

“First of all, he’s not my boyfriend. Secondly, he doesn’t do all the work,” Albus claimed, folding his arms over his chest.

“Sure, those are both totally believable statements,” James muttered, turning back to the dough.

Harry chuckled. “Speaking of Albus’s not-boyfriend—”

“Dad! Don’t call him that!”

“Isn’t he going to be here in 10 minutes?” Harry finished.

“Oh, shit!” Albus exclaimed and leaped off the stool and towards his room to get ready as Harry and James cackled. Albus ripped off his pajamas and started to put on the outfit he picked out the moment he found out Scorpius was coming over. He pulled on the thick black leggings, emerald skirt, tight white undershirt, and his softest black sweater. The leggings and skirt were comfortable but alluring, the undershirt would show off his muscles, and the sweater was for Scorpius to snuggle into. Albus admired himself in the mirror and then noticed his hair. He attempted to fix it but gave up. Scorpius always played with it anyways.

Albus smiled at his reflection. He used to hate the way he looked. His vitiligo was visible in the most inconvenient places. A large patch surrounded his right eye and dripped down his cheek, a small patch kissed the left side of his mouth, and spots covered his collar bones. He also had freckles all over his body. People couldn’t stop staring at the freckled, light patches. They thought he was a freak, and Albus believed them. Until Scorpius saw him. Scorpius also couldn’t stop staring, and at first it made Albus uncomfortable. But then Scorpius had said, “You are my favorite visual stim.” That made Albus feel giddy everytime he thought about it. They had only been 11 when Scorpius said that, and he obviously meant it platonically because he was just fascinated by the patterns. But it always made Albus feel beautiful. Albus was snapped out his thoughts by the sound of the doorbell.

He immediately ran down the stairs and was at the door in seconds. He flung open the door and was greeted by Scorpius’s nervous smile. “Scor!” Albus screamed, throwing his arms around the tall, skinny boy. Scorpius laughed and wrapped his arms and legs around his friend. Albus lifted him by grabbing his ass, and he spun him out of joy. He stood there for a moment as they stared into each other’s eyes, happy to see each other again. Albus heard his father speak to Scorpius’s dad and realised what they were doing. Albus had his hands under Scorpius’s ass, their bodies were flush together, Scorpius’s long legs were pretzeled behind Albus’s back, and Scorpius’s fingers were toying with Albus’s wild hair. This was probably an inappropriate position to be in while in front of their fathers. Scorpius must have noticed it, too, because his pale cheeks flushed pink. Albus helped him down to his feet but kept one arm around his waist.

“Hullo, Al,” Scorpius whispered with an amused smile.

“Hi, Scor,” Albus laughed. “And, hello, Mr. Malfoy!” He waved with his free hand and tried to be charming.

Draco turned to him with a slight smile. “Hello, Albus. How are you?”

“Fantastic,” Albus responded, sparing a glance at Scorpius.

Harry met Draco’s eyes to confirm that they both saw that. “Yeah, now that Scorpius is here. I thought you were going to explode if you went one more day without him,” Harry teased.

Albus went still and glared at his dad in embarrassment. Scorpius looked down on him smugly.

“Oh that sounds familiar,” Draco began, making Scorpius’s head snap up. “Every day in France, I heard, ‘Albus, would love this’ or ‘I wish Albus was here.’” Draco smirked at his son. Scorpius was beet red and looking down at the ground. The boys weren’t looking at each other, but Albus’s hand never moved.

Harry laughed loudly. “Come on, boys. We were just messing with you. Best friends are always anxious to see each other,” he smiled, thinking back to his days at Hogwarts. “Now, go inside before you catch a cold.”

Albus mumbled a goodbye to Draco before shuffling inside. Scorpius quickly hugged his father before following. When the door shut, Harry spoke, “Sometimes, I still can’t believe they’re like that.”

Draco peered at him with a smirk. “Albus really is the wild card, isn’t he? What surprised you the most? His skin, his clothes, him being a Slytherin, befriending a Malfoy, or how obviously and sickeningly in love he and said Malfoy are?” he asked with a laugh.

Harry shook his head. “Maybe it’s the fact they’re still not together yet,” he chuckled.

Draco nodded. “I’d almost agree with you there, but the most surprising part of all of this for me is the fact that my father almost gave Albus his blessing before I told them they weren’t dating yet.”

“Seriously?” Harry cried. “Lucius Malfoy was going to give my son, a non-pureblood male Potter with vitiligo, blessing to date his grandson?”

“Not just date. Marry. My parents have begun planning their wedding,” Draco deadpanned.

Harry gaped. “Oh, Merlin. That is the most surprising thing,” he laughed. “They’re just 15. But I can definitely imagine Cissy doing that.”

Draco nodded. “Malfoys and Blacks begin the wedding plans when the baby is born. I just hope our boys have enough sense to elope.”

Harry scrunched his face. “Elope?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Believe me, I’d love to be present for my son’s wedding, but think about it. They’ll have to deal with the conflicting and stubborn opinions of the Malfoys and the Weasleys,” he warned.

Harry shuttered. “Mercy. Elopement it is then.”

~

Once Albus and Scorpius were alone in the living room, the embarrassment started to clear. Scorpius looked Albus up and down with a slight blush. “I like the skirt,” he complimented.

Albus smirked. “I knew you would,” he said while lightly elbowing his friend. Scorpius gave a small smile back and was about to respond when James suddenly appeared in front of them.

“Scorpius!” he exclaimed and hugged the smaller, surprised boy. “You’re finally here! Albus was about to die at the thought of spending New Years alone.” James drawled out the last word and gave the pair a devious look.

Scorpius glanced at Albus in amusement at the older brother’s antics. He couldn’t help but giggle at his best friend’s death-glare.

James took this as encouragement to continue. “I mean then he would have gotten all dolled up for nothing, with no one to kiss during the countdown.”

Scorpius flushed pink at the thought. He saw that Albus had turned red, but he attributed it to anger since Albus was currently hitting James. But he was laughing, so he couldn’t be too upset.

“Stop making Scor uncomfortable,” Albus chided.

James rolled his eyes and put his arm around Scorpius. “I could never. It’s what older brothers do best, and as Scorp’s honorary brother, I can do this,” he explained and ruffled the blond’s curly hair.

Albus could tell that Scorpius wasn’t uncomfortable with this. They never discussed it, but he saw Scorpius’s hidden jealousy of Albus’s relationships with his siblings. James must have sensed it, too.

“Well, in any case, don’t make those jokes around Uncle Ron; he’ll have an aneurysm,” Albus joked.

James barked a laugh. “Oh I won’t have to do anything for that to happen.”

Scorpius’s eyes widened, and he started fidgeting his hands. “Is Mr. Weasley going to be upset that I’m there?” he stammered.

Albus looked at his friend and saw how vulnerable he was. He grabbed his cold hand without question. “If he was really upset, he wouldn’t let you come,” he smiled. “Uncle Ron is just stubborn, but once he sees you, he won’t have any issues with you.” Scorpius looked into Albus’s determined green eyes and felt reassured. His own eyes started to roam Albus’s patterned face, and he was instantly calmed.

James scoffed at the disgustingly sweet pair. He was about to interrupt, but Lily did it for him. “Oi, J, Al!” she called from the kitchen. “Where is everyone? Innit time to go?”

“We’re in the living room waiting for Dad to stop talking to Mr. Malfoy,” James responded.

“Mr. Malfoy?” Lily muttered. She ran into the living room. “Oh, Scorpius is here!” She tackled him with a hug, forcing the boys to let go of each other.

“Hi, Lily,” Scorpius said sheepishly, taken aback by the sudden affection.

Lily jumped off. “Oh sorry, I forgot you don’t like unexpected things,” she apologized. “But I’m glad you’re here, so Albus will finally stop pestering me.”

Albus groaned. “All of you are out to get me, and you’re all exaggerating,” he accused. Scorpius just moved closed to Albus and grinned. He knew how much his friend wanted to see him, and he felt loved.

~

Harry finally came inside and wrung his hands. “Merlin, it’s cold out there,” he grumbled.

Lily ran at him. “Then why did you stay out there so long?” she huffed. “Come on, it’s time to gooo.” She dragged her dad toward the fireplace.

The boys were waiting on the couch with the food Harry and James had prepared. Scorpius had just finished a cookie that James snuck him when Albus wasn’t looking.

“Well, I guess we have everything and are ready to go,” Harry asked.

“Yep!” James and Lily enthusiastically answered while Albus and Scorpius nodded.

“Is your mom already there?” Scorpius whispered to Albus.

“Oh, yeah,” Albus replied. “She helps set up since it’s a Weasley tradition.”

Harry threw the floo powder into the fire and yelled into it, “We’re coming through!” He turned to Lily and motioned her towards the green flames. “Remember to—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, Dad,” she cut him off. “I’m not going to mumble like you and get sent to a dark magic store.” She smiled at him before stepping into the flame and saying, “Weasley-Granger’s.”

Harry chuckled and sent his other kids in. Albus reluctantly went before Scorpius. Scorpius nervously followed.

Ginny and Ron were waiting for them on the other side. The Potter children immediately ran to greet their mom and uncle. Scorpius stayed by the fireplace awkwardly brushing soot of himself as he stared at the ground. When Harry came through the floo and greeted Ron, Albus came back to Scorpius’s side. Albus took his hand and smiled reassuringly at him.

“Uncle Ron,” Albus walked over to him. “This is my best friend, Scorpius.”

Ron’s eyes focused on the boys’ joined hands.

Scorpius forced himself to look into the man’s eyes. “Thank you for letting me come over, Mr. Weasley,” he stammered and raised his right hand politely. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Ron was obviously taken aback. He briefly eyed Harry before shaking the Malfoy’s hand. “Well, uh, Albus wanted you to come,” Ron awkwardly said. “Couldn’t say no to him.”

“Why don’t you introduce Scorpius to everyone else, Albus,” Ginny suggested and pushed the other kids with them.

Ron continued to stare as Albus pulled the Malfoy out of the room. Once the kids were gone, he turned to his best friend. “Are they…”

Harry laughed. “No, they’re not dating.”

“Yet,” Ginny added.

Ron turned to her. “What does that mean?” he pressed. She just gave him a pointed look. “You’d both be okay if they did date?” They both nodded.

“They make each other happy,” Ginny stated simply.

“And they both need each other through all the shit they’ve faced,” Harry sighed. “Besides, don’t you like Scorpius?”

Ron gave a moment of thought. “I guess you’re right. I just never thought a Malfoy could be so quiet and polite,” he laughed incredulously.

“I didn’t know a teenage boy could be so quiet and polite,” Ginny chuckled. “When Scorpius is over, all I can think is how lucky Malfoy is.” Ron shook his head and went into the dining room.

~

The Potter children went around the house greeting everyone, and Albus introduced them all to Scorpius. All the kids had met him before at Hogwarts, but most of the adults hadn’t. Neville was the exception as he was the Herbology professor. Scorpius was surprised by how they all accepted him.

Albus first took him to Hermione. She and Rose were picking out music. “Aunt Hermione, this is Scorpius,” he introduced.

Hermione turned around and smiled at the sight before her. When Ron told her Scorpius was coming, she was excited to see how the Malfoy’s have changed. She saw that this one was very different as he played with the hem of Albus’s sweater.

“Hello, Scorpius,” she greeted. “Pleasure to finally meet you.” She shook his hand.

Scorpius said hello back and then saw silver around her neck. Her necklace charm was an open book with a glowing sun in the middle. He gasped and pulled out the necklace from under his sweater. “We have the same necklace!” he said excitedly.

“You’ve read _Shining Words_?” Hermione grinned. “It’s my favorite book! Ron got me the charm for Christmas.”

“It’s my favorite book, too!” Scorpius beamed. “Al gave me my necklace last year for my birthday.”

“That’s nice. We’ll have to talk about the book later tonight after you’ve talked to everyone.” Albus couldn’t stop smiling at how excited Scorpius was. When the pair walked away, Hermione and Rose turned to each other with shining eyes full of plans. Rose had a lot to tell her.

James and Lily had moved on to talking to George and Angelina. As Albus and Scorpius approached them, George raised his eyebrows. “So Freddie and Roxanne weren’t kidding, then,” he said. “You really are friends with a Malfoy.” Albus and Scorpius immediately tensed. “I’m only teasing, ya,” George laughed. “Want a toffee, Scorpius?” He treated the pair normally after that.

After saving Scorpius from his uncle’s tricks, Albus took him to Bill and Fleur. Dominique tackled the pair before he could say anything. She had become attached to Albus ever since he was sorted into Slytherin. She said it was because she was rebellious, which explained her purple hair, but Albus knew it was because she wished she had been brave enough to choose Slytherin over Gryffindor. Then, when the school turned against Albus and Scorpius, she became fiercely protective over them both. She claimed to have adopted Scorpius since they were both gay.

“Mom, Dad,” Dominique said after letting go. “This is my son, Scorpius Malfoy.”

Bill chuckled and shook the boy’s hand, but Fleur kissed his cheeks and studied him. “He could be your son,” she smiled. “You have such soft skin and lovely hair. It is very wonderful to meet you; Dominique has told us all about you.”

Albus eyed his cousin. “What does she mean by all about?” he questioned.

Dominique laughed a put an arm around his shoulder. “She means absolutely everything,” she answered. “But don’t worry; Mom’s great at keeping secrets.”

~

Soon, Scorpius was exhausted from talking to people, so Albus placed him on a large reclining chair. He grabbed two plates of food and two hot chocolates and sat with him. Scorpius had to sit half in his lap to make room for the both of them, but they did not mind. Scorpius silently cuddled into Albus’s sweater and ate small bites to recharge.

Dean and Seamus walked into the room and sat on the couch to eat. They then saw the pair in the chair. “Well, ’lo there, Albus,” Seamus greeted. “Not interrupted anything are we?” He raised his eyebrows with a smirk.

“No, you’re not,” Albus said befuddled. He and Scorpius were just sitting and eating. “We didn’t see you two when we were making our rounds. This is Scorpius, my best friend.” Scorpius managed to sit up and wave politely. He then looked to Albus with a silent question. “Oh, right,” Albus said. “This is Dean and Seamus Thomas-Finnegan. They roomed with Dad, Uncle Ron, and Neville.”

“Innit Professor Longbottom to you?” Dean teased.

Albus rolled his eyes. “As if he’d ever want to be called that. He tells everyone to call him Neville.”

“You lot are so lucky having him as a professor,” Seamus shook his head. “Is Herbology your favorite class because of him?”

Scorpius involuntarily scrunched his face and made a noise of displeasure.

“Oh, definitely not then,” Dean guessed. “Why do you hate it so much?”

“Well, I do like Mr. Neville, so it’s not his fault,” Scorpius quietly explained. He tried to form words and grabbed his necklace and Albus’s sweater.

Albus finished explaining for him. “He doesn’t like how wild everything is. It’s usually loud and humid in the greenhouses, and he can’t control plants. Plus, all the textures are bad. I help him out, and Neville lets him step outside if he needs to.”

Scorpius looked at Albus with gratitude, both for explaining and for being there for him.

“Oh that makes sense,” Dean responds. “Good that you’ve got Albus.”

Seamus stared at the pair and a light flickered in his eyes. “You know I felt the same way about potions,” he started. “I felt like I was never in control, and my frustration would blow up along with the potion. Happened so often, I thought Dean would want to stop being my partner, but he never did. Instead, helped me study and practice.” Seamus grabbed his husband’s hand and smiled gratefully at him.

Dean smiled back. “Sometimes I was annoyed by your aptitude for setting things on fire, but mostly, I found it endearing,” he laughed.

Scorpius laid his head on Albus’s shoulder while watching the couple. He absentmindedly played with Albus’s hand. Albus knew it was because Scorpius was elated at seeing openly gay affection.

“You two remind me of us when we were young,” Seamus turned to them. Dean rolled his eyes but nodded.

“In what ways?” Albus cautiously asked, feeling Scorpius’s cheek burn into his shoulder. “You two are inseparable.” He gave a pointed look to their conjoined hands. “Like you need each other.”

Without hesitation, Scorpius replied, “We do.” Albus glanced down at the fluffy blond hair beside him and smiled. He squeezed Scorpius’s hand in agreement. He did need him.

~

Others filed into the room and sat around as they tried to make conversation with the Malfoy. No one commented on the fact that Scorpius was sitting sideways on Albus’s lap, with Albus’s arm dangerously low around his waist. Ron was too shocked to mention it, and Angelina elbowed George when he went to mention it.

“So, Scorpius, tell us what we’re all wondering,” George finally said. “What’s Draco Malfoy like as a parent?” Albus thought maybe someone would shut up that rude question, but it looked like everyone was a little curious.

Scorpius smiled widely. “He’s great!” he boasted. “I couldn’t ask for a better father.”

“Seriously?” Ron let out before he could stop himself. Hermione hit his arm.

Scorpius stared at Ron. “I know my dad did some bad things in the past, but he deeply regrets his actions and how things turned out,” he said determinedly. “He’s had a hard life, harder than most of you know, and he’s turned that pain into motivation to help others. That’s why he’s a great Healer and a great father.” Everyone went silent after that. Most people had assumed Draco Malfoy turned out just like his father and that Scorpius was nothing like a Malfoy. They began to realise there may be more to the Malfoy’s than they thought.

“I’m sorry for making assumptions,” Ron apologized.

Scorpius shrugged, not wanting to talk anymore. Albus stroked his leg to comfort him.

Dominique stepped in to help him out. “If only you guys could hear the way he talked about his dad at school,” she laughed to break the silence. “‘Look at this sweater Dad bought me,’ ‘Dad and Cissy baked me cookies,’ ‘I went there with my dad,’ ‘I can’t wait to see dad!’”

Scorpius grinned widely at her and at the memories of his dad.

“I’ve always liked Mr. Malfoy,” Lily added. “He’s nice. Plus, he can’t be too bad if Dad talks to him.”

Several heads whipped to look at Harry. “You talk to Malfoy?” Ron asked incredulously.

“We don’t talk often,” he stammered. “I mean we do, but we don’t plan it. I mean when he drops off Scorpius or I drop off Albus, we chat for a bit.”

Ron pursed his lips. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Maybe in a year or two, Harry and Draco will be as close as them,” George teased, motioning to the pair curled in the chair.

Everyone let out hearty laughs except Harry, Albus, and Scorpius. Harry just rolled his eyes to hide his awkward blush. Albus and Scorpius didn’t understand why the idea was so preposterous.

~

The night carried on, and Scorpius wound up having a lot of fun—and sugar. At some point Albus had ditched his sweater, and Scorpius immediately put it on. He was happy to sit in the comfortable warmth and scent as he watched Albus dance with Dominique and Lily. He thought no one was watching him, so Scorpius stared up and down Albus’s body—from his sculpted calves, thick thighs, visible muscles under the sweaty white shirt, and his beautiful face. Scorpius felt his own face flush red. He brushed it off to being too warm.

Suddenly, a voice beside him said, “Why don’t you dance with him?”

Scorpius jumped with a squeak. He turned to the voice—Hermione. “Oh, I’m tired,” he muttered.

“If you keep sitting, you’ll fall asleep before midnight,” Hermione warned. “Dancing will wake you up.”

Scorpius conceded and stood up with a stretch. He approached his friends. Dominique grabbed his arms and forced him to dance in excitement. Scorpius couldn’t help but to grin. Once she was sure he’d keep dancing, Dominique let go of him and bumped him towards Albus. The pair started dancing together and didn’t notice several mischievous eyes on them.

At some point the adults had joined in the dancing and coupled up. The kids mocked their dancing until the music switched to a slow song. All the married couples smiled at each other sappily and started swaying together.

Albus and Scorpius stood awkwardly by each other unsure whether to sit or not. They looked around and saw that some of the kids were trying to slow dance with each other and laughing. James had approached Neville dramatically and asked him for a dance.

Albus looked at Scorpius and shrugged. He put his hands around his waist and grinned. “Dance with me?” he asked.

Scorpius smiled back with a tint of pink on his cheeks. “Sure,” he replied and curled his hands around Albus’s neck. “I don’t know how to slow dance, though.”

“It’s okay; neither do I,” Albus laughed. He started to sway, and Scorpius followed his lead. Scorpius couldn’t help but to stare at Albus’s face—around his eyes, around his lips, counting his freckles.

Albus’s breath caught as he looked at Scorpius. Those blue-grey eyes were staring at him with pure adoration. He didn’t understand how such a beautiful person could look at him like that. Albus was captivated by the pink of Scorpius’s face. It suited his skin perfectly. Albus’s eyes drifted to his pink, plush lips. They looked just as soft as the rest of him. Albus was snapped out of his daze when a soft gasp released from those lips. He looked up to Scorpius’s face, which was now red. Had he caught Albus staring? Albus almost stuttered out an excuse when Scorpius pulled closer to him. He tucked his head on Albus’s shoulder and shut his eyes. Albus moved one of his hands higher to Scorpius’s shoulder blade and the other lower. He felt soft lips spread into a smile on his neck.

The two felt the song ended too soon when the beat changed to something fast-paced. They quickly pulled apart and didn’t question each other’s red face. From the other room, looking at the pair, Rose and Hermione high-fived.

~

Five minutes before midnight, everyone piled outside to await the fireworks. The couples sat with each other awaiting the kiss and drinking champagne while the kids all piled together with party poppers. No one questioned that Albus and Scorpius sat slightly off to the side.

Albus had done it without thinking since he knew Scorpius preferred not to be crowded. They cuddled together unaware of whispered looks. Scorpius was still wearing Albus’s sweater, and Albus was starting to freeze, but he wasn’t going to ask for it back.

They all watched the timer that Ron had set up in the sky as they chatted. When it reached ten seconds, all conversations ended, and people started chanting.

“10, 9!”

Scorpius sat up in excitement for the fireworks. Albus just stared at his wide eyes.

“8, 7!”

Scorpius noticed Albus staring at him and turned to look back. He smiled shyly and looked down as he played with the hem of his sweater. His hair fell in front of his eyes.

“6, 5!”

Albus reached forward to push the blond hair back. He didn’t move his hand from Scorpius’s cheek; he was captivated by those pink lips. The chant had died down to just the kids as the adults were busy kissing. Scorpius thought he was going to explode with Albus’s warm hand on his skin and his beautiful face so close to him. He felt his energy being let out in small waves of magic. He glanced at the timer—two seconds. Scorpius looked back at Albus’s green eyes and then his red lips, and he lunged onto him. Albus let out a surprised sound as he caught Scorpius, but it was drowned out by the noise of cheering, party poppers, and fireworks. He couldn’t hear any of it, though. All he could focus on was how Scorpius’s lips felt. They were softly but desperately moving against his. Albus could feel Scorpius’s magic tingling his face—a result of him being too excited.

They pulled off of one another when they ran out of breath quickly. The kiss had not last but a few seconds, but they were panting. Albus was no longer cold and couldn’t stop grinning. Scorpius giggled and started flapping his hands to let energy out. Albus pulled him against his chest so they could both watch the fireworks. Scorpius stared at the fascinating patterns of light as he played with Albus’s hands. Albus stole glances to the beautiful face below him. When the fireworks ended, Albus continued to spoon Scorpius, too happy to move.

Until four poppers went off behind their heads. They both screamed and jumped up. James, Lily, Rose, and Dominique were staring at them wickedly. “Congratulations!” they yelled.

Albus’s and Scorpius’s faces flushed. “So you guys saw that,” Albus guessed.

“Of course we did,” Rose said. “We were watching you two the whole time.”

“I guess this means that I should tell Dad you two shouldn’t share a room tonight,” James teased, taking a step towards the adults.

Albus grabbed him. “Don’t you dare,” he threatened. “Besides Scorpius and I just kissed; do you think we’re going to do anything.” He blushed furiously.

“Yes,” all four of them answered. Albus rolled his eyes.

“Well, whatever you think, you’re not telling Dad,” he muttered. “Besides, he might not have even seen anything.”

“True, but he definitely won’t miss the two of you’s glowing faces,” Dominique sang.

Albus turned to look at Scorpius. The boy’s face was completely pink, his lips were slightly swollen, and his eyes were shining at Albus. Okay, Dominique had a point. To make matters even worse, Albus couldn’t control himself when he reached up to give Scorpius a quick peck on the lips. Another burst of magic spread through him. He pulled back and touched his tingling lips.

“Gross,” James and Lily decided. “We’re telling Dad.”

“I have eyes,” Harry said from a foot away. Albus jumped in panic. Harry smiled at him. “Congratulations, you two,” he said. “I was wondering when you two were finally going to get together; I had begun to wonder if you were dating secretly.”

“I couldn’t keep that a secret,” Albus laughed.

“I know you couldn’t,” Harry chuckled with him. He hugged his son, who was grateful for the supportive embrace. Harry then placed his hand on Scorpius’s shoulder and leaned down to whisper, “And you can still stay in Albus’s room; Draco told me about your insomnia.” Scorpius smiled and thanked him quietly.

Harry started walking away, and James scoffed. “Of course he wouldn’t separate you two,” he complained. “Remember I’m in the room next to you.” He pointed at the couple.

Albus rolled his eyes. “You won’t hear a thing, idiot.”

~

People started to leave Ron’s house, and many left a supportive comment for Albus and Scorpius. The most enthusiastic was Seamus, who drunkenly yelled, “I told you two were like me and Dean!” Dean apologized for his uncouth husband and dragged him out.

After everything was cleaned up, it was time for the Potters to leave. Hermione hugged Scorpius goodbye and gave him a book to borrow. He thanked her and Ron for their hospitality.

Ron waved it off. “Don’t mention it,” grumbled. “And, uh, Scorpius, you’re welcome to come next holiday if you’d like.” Scorpius beamed at him. Hermione gave him a wink.

They said their goodbyes, and the Potters and Scorpius went through the floo.

~

Harry and Ginny went to put up the leftovers and sent the kids to bed.

“I’m not tired,” James whined.

“Oh, you’ll go to sleep as soon as your head hits the pillow,” Ginny rolled her eyes. “Goodnight dears.” She kissed the top of each of their heads, including Scorpius’s.

Albus held Scorpius’s hand and led him upstairs to his bedroom. Before they stepped in, James made the ‘I’m-watching-you’ gesture. Albus laughed and pulled Scorpius inside his room, locking the door behind him.

“Gross!” James yelled.

Scorpius immediately started changing into pajamas in exhaustion. He stole a pair of Albus’s shorts and pulled his black sweater back over him. He jumped into the bed and snuggled into the smell. Albus, like usual, just slept in boxers. He crawled under the covers and stared at the blond.

Scorpius laughed, “What?”

“I’m just staring at my boyfriend,” Albus answered.

Scorpius exploded with happiness and tackled Albus. “Boyfriend, boyfriend, boyfriend!” he whispered-yelled. He loved that word. Albus smiled up adoringly at him before kissing him sweetly. Scorpius pulled away in a fit of giggles. Albus stroked his back.

They jumped at the thump against the wall. “Gross!” James yelled.

The couple covered their mouths to muffle their laughs. They pulled the covers over their heads. Albus laid on his back so Scorpius could throw himself around him. Albus held him in place by placing his arms around his waist and thighs. They had always slept together like this, but now they both realized how romantic it was.

“My New Year’s Resolution is to always be in your arms,” Scorpius sleepily said into Albus’s chest.

Albus choked on how cute he was. He tightened his grip and whispered, “And mine is to always hold you.” His answer was a peaceful snore.

Albus smiled and shut his eyes, knowing the next year would bring many more conversations and kisses.


End file.
